Enlargement of the cardiac silhouette
Last revised by Subhan Iqbal on 16 Jan 2022
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Gaillard F, Iqbal S, El-Feky M, et al. Enlargement of the cardiac silhouette. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 06 Dec 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-15282
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rID:
15282
Article created:
7 Oct 2011, Frank Gaillard ◈
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosuresLast revised:
16 Jan 2022, Subhan Iqbal
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Subhan Iqbal had no recorded disclosures.
View Subhan Iqbal's current disclosuresRevisions:
6 times, by 5 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Tags:
Synonyms:
- Increased cardiothoracic ratio
- Enlargement of the pericardial silhouette
Enlargement of the cardiac silhouette on a frontal (or PA) chest x-ray can be due to a number of causes 1:
- cardiomegaly (most common cause by far)
- pericardial effusion
- anterior mediastinal mass
- prominent epicardial fat pad
- expiratory radiograph
- AP projection (e.g supine radiographs taken with a portable machine)
Recognizing enlargement relies upon an understanding of the normal cardiomediastinal outline and normal cardiothoracic ratio.
Quiz questions
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References
- 1. Novelline RA. Squire's Fundamentals of Radiology. Harvard University Press. (2004) ISBN:0674012798. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
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